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"I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans have always supported me greatly. Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won't be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win in 2014. I will focus on keep working to be ready for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the amazing Indian Wells tournament."
With these words, Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the ATP tournament in Doha, putting the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells as back. The Spanish tennis player, after the serious injury that affected his 2023 season, showed up at the Brisbane International 2024, where he reached the quarter-finals.
There Rafa suffered yet another injury in his glorious career, which forced him to miss the Australian Open and now the Doha tournament. The Spaniard hopes to be able to compete in Indian Wells before the switch that will take him to his beloved clay-season.
An injury that wasn't serious, but which must have affected the morale of the legendary Spaniard. A blow that would have an effect on anyone's mental health. And speaking of mental health, Rafa shared very interesting words regarding this topic.
"I went to a psychologist twice in my life"
In fact, Nadal also spoke about the importance of mental health, in sport as in life. The Spaniard confided how he has had sessions with a psychologist and how it is important for all players (but as for all people who need it) to open up about their mental health.
Speaking to The Objective, Nadal confided that he had been to the psychologist twice at different stages of his life to deal with various issues and that he had never had any problems opening up about his mental health.
"If you have pain in your leg, go to the doctor. Maybe it was a more taboo topic, but I don't perceive it that way, I perceive it as something normal and natural, it's just another part of the body and I would say the most important. I never had a problem talking about it, I went to a psychologist twice in my life, in two different phases of my life for two different problems I had," explained Rafa.